Dos and Don'ts for the First Court Appearance

Dos and Don’ts for the First Court Appearance

Making a court appearance is one of the most responsible tasks that appearance attorneys have to handle. It may be considered as a simple task, but there is certain conduct every appearance lawyer should follow when entering the courtroom. There are some rules to one has to follow in order not to harm his or the hiring attorney’s reputation. Our team has brainstormed some of the essential ones to share with you.

Be on Time

Time management is one of the most vital skills for a lawyer. Appearing on time shows your professionalism and dedication to your work. It may seem to be unimportant at first, but it may highly affect how you will be perceived in the courtroom. Your reputation greatly depends on your manners in the courtroom starting the minute you enter the room.

Be Professional

After you enter the courtroom, it is essential to maintain an image of a lawyer. Make sure you are dressed professionally. Don’t forget about maintaining your good image even if you are appearing to the court to complete a very simple assignment such as bringing a missing document. Moreover, pay attention to your manners in the courtroom. Always be respectful to the staff members and behave ethically.

Know Your Case

Before appearing to the court, make sure you are acquainted with the case for which you are appearing to the court. Certainly, you may not have time and resources to explore the case very great detail, but you will surely have to know the most important components of it. Sometimes, you may be asked to attend court hearings. In such circumstances, you should definitely be attentive to details of the case in order to stay aware of the ongoing hearing.

Don’t Talk on Another Lawyer’s Behalf

When entering the courtroom as an appearance lawyer, there’s a high chance that you receive a lot of questions about the case. You may indeed answer some of them, but remember not to talk an another lawyer’s behalf. As an appearance attorney, your responsibility is simply to appear in the court and complete the assigned task. After the completion of the task, you may never encounter that case again.

Don’t Argue

When you enter the courtroom to make an appearance for a certain hearing, you are directly associated with the case. This means that the members of the consol may start talking to you as if you are an integral part of the case. However, you should simply clarify your current position in the courtroom. Never argue with anyone in the court; it will greatly harm not only your but also the attorney of record’s reputation. Civilized manners are extremely important in the courtroom, make sure to follow them mindfully.

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